


The Arena

by island0fmisfittoys



Category: RWBY
Genre: Abuse, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Gladiators, Alternate Universe - Space, Anti-Faunus Racism (RWBY), Bumblebee - Freeform, F/F, Fights, Hurt/Comfort, I'm Bad At Summaries, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Past Abuse, Violence, space
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-13
Updated: 2020-09-03
Packaged: 2021-03-05 22:20:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,301
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25872772
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/island0fmisfittoys/pseuds/island0fmisfittoys
Summary: Blake vowed she would never step foot back into an Arena...and yet...here she was.
Relationships: Blake Belladonna/Yang Xiao Long
Comments: 4
Kudos: 35





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello Everyone!  
> So this is the Space Gladiator AU that literally no one asked for but has been floating around in my head for like the past week. I'm excited to finally be writing it although I'm not 100% sure how I feel about this chapter...not sure if the writing is descriptive enough...  
> Anywho! Hope you enjoy it! :D

Blake hated the city of Mantle, she hated the entire planet of Atlas actually, but in this very moment she hated Mantle slightly more. Blake shook her head as she walked down the alleyways leading towards the Marketplace. The buildings were stacked so close together that in the allies there was just enough room between buildings for two people to walk down shoulder-to-shoulder. Clotheslines lined the sky above her, creating some semblance of shade and a nice reprieve from the sun. Mantle was hot, Blake could feel her hair sticking to the back of her neck. Sweat dripping down her back. The hair under her beanie damp. What she wouldn’t give to be able to take the hat off...alas, being a Faunus in Mantle was dangerous. Well it was dangerous to be a Faunus anywhere. Blake had spent plenty of time on other planets over the past few years, never staying in one place too long. So she knew how Faunus were treated on different planets and in different galaxies, Atlas was definitely not one of the safer places.

The population of Mantle was made up of 70% criminals, which of course, made it that much more dangerous. But it was also convenient for Blake. She had run into some trouble and ended up stranded on Atlas trying to get the parts she needed to fix her ship. She had planned on being here for a day or two tops, but she underestimated how expensive the parts would be. She also underestimated how difficult it would be for her to get work here. But Mantle being a city of criminals, she didn’t feel bad hacking into peoples accounts and “liberating” a few thousand kredits.

Blake finally entered the main area of the Marketplace, rickety wooden stalls making a circle in the center. Vendors shouting, people walking around, pushing past each other. The smell made Blake’s nose wrinkle, the scent of food and unwashed bodies, smoke and dirt clinging to the air. She knew her sense of smell was more sensitive than that of a human, but the Marketplace was honestly disgusting. Everyone was cramped into the space like sardines in a can. The lack of space sucked because the temperature definitely increased a few degrees making Blake even more uncomfortable. But it also has its advantages, Blake snuck her hand into the pocket of her hoodie and swiped the switch on her Slate. 

_ ‘Electronic Pickpocketing is safer than the actual thing right?’ _

Blake shrugged her shoulders to herself as she squinted and looked around the Marketplace. She was leaning against an old building at the mouth of the alley she just walked through, next to a vendor selling some sort of “exotic” fruit. She snorted at their sales pitch, she knew for a fact that the fruit in question was grown in someone's basement like three streets over. But it was a good location, she could stand here and pickpocket anyone coming out of the alley or anyone coming to this vendor without raising much suspicion. While at the same time scoping out the other vendors and locations to try and pick a spot for tomorrow. A trick she learned nearly a decade ago, never pickpocket the same location twice, always try and move around as much as possible.

Blake wasn’t sure how long she stood there before they showed up, but she noticed them the second they arrived. Two girls, around her age, one small with black hair with red tips, cute features, wearing a flowing blood red Cape. The other had her back to Blake so she couldn’t see her face but she had the most absolutely gorgeous mane of golden blonde hair that Blake had ever seen. She was tall, taller than herself, and strong. The girl was wearing a skintight white tank top showing off the muscles of her back and left arm, and the silver and yellow prosthetic of her right. Even though Blake couldn't see her face, Blake knew she was beautiful. She'd have to be in order to completely pull people's attention away from their surroundings, especially in a place like this. Where nearly everyone was a criminal of some kind, and literally everyone was always on their toes. Vigilance was key to survival here.

And yet.

Blake watched the two girls work together like they were one. The blonde would pick a target and engage them in conversation, once she had their full attention the smaller girl would pick their pocket from behind. 

_ 'They're good' _

Blake watched them repeat the performance three more times before the smaller girl caught her watching. Blake just smirked at her and shook her head while the smaller girl grinned and winked in return.

The two girls left soon afterwards and headed in the opposite direction of Blake's own ship. The sun had started to set so Blake decided it would be best for her to head out as well.

  
  


The next two days passed in a similar fashion, Blake picked a different location, usually the opening of an alleyway two to three over from the one she was at the day before, leaned against the building and just watched. The two girls from the other day following the same pattern as the first time Blake saw them. They were also moving around, distancing themselves from the places they pick pocketed the previous day. Which Blake knew was smart, seeing as it was exactly the same thing she was doing. But she was frustrated that she had yet to see the blonde girl's face. She had made eye contact with the smaller girl a few times, giving her a smirk and receiving a wink in response each time. She was intrigued. She wanted to know more. And it was with that thought that Blake's brow furrowed in confusion. She didn't do relationships, hell, she barely did friendships anymore.

_ 'It's safer for everyone that way...you know that' _

Blake sighed and tilted her head back, resting it against the building, squinting as she looked up to the sky. She closed her eyes for a second and took a deep breath through her nose and nearly gagged at the stench that invaded her senses. She opened her eyes and tilted her head back and came face to face with what she would define as the scum of Mantle. Standing in front of her was a dirty middle aged man, greasy thinning hair, receding hairline. He was missing at least three teeth and the teeth he did still have were nearly all yellow, at least from what Blake could tell when he shot her a predatory smile. His clothes were dirty, ripped and smelt of smoke, alcohol and body odor. She watched him rake his beady eyes down her body.

“How much for the night?”

Blake scoffed and gave him a look of utter disgust.

“Not interested”

Blake moved to leave, it was getting dark anyway and she had been planning on leaving soon to head back to her ship.

_ ‘No time like the present’ _

She took a step to the side when the man reached out and grabbed her wrist, tight.

“Come on sweetheart, how much?”

Blake snarled as she spun around to face him, pushing him back and pulling her arm out of his grasp,

“I said, not interested asshole, now fuck off”

The man stumbled back and bumped into a few other people, Blake didn’t stick around to see what happened next, taking off down the alley. She did hear him yell after her. The words,

“Fucking Bitch”

Echoed in her mind as she rubbed her right wrist with her left hand. There would be a bruise there in the morning, she was sure of it. Blake pulled the hood of her hoodie up over her head, concealing her face from view as she made her way farther down the alley

_ ‘Whatever, could have been worse...you’ve had worse’ _

Blake shuddered at the thought but continued moving, weaving in and out of side streets, trying to mask her route to anyone who might be following. She was sure she caught the attention of more than a few people thanks to the asshole and really didn’t want to have to deal with anyone else tonight. 

Naturally however, Blake wasn’t that lucky.

She rounded the next corner and nearly walked into the same asshole from the Marketplace. 

_ ‘Fucking hell’ _

The man reached forward and grabbed her wrist again pulling her against him, she felt him reach his free hand around her, grabbing her ass and pulling her against him even more. She pushed him back,her left hand connecting with his shoulder as she struggled to loosen his grip on her right,

“Get off!”

The next thing Blake knew the man was lying on the ground in front of her, a bullet hole between his eyes, blood pooling under his head.

Blake spun around, eyes wide and she came face-to-face with the blonde girl from the Marketplace. Blake would have recognized her hair and prosthetic anywhere.

The blonde gave her a soft smile and tilted her head to the side,

“You alright sweetheart?”

Blake’s mouth was open, shock and surprise written across her face. Her heart pounding in her chest. She promptly snapped her mouth shut and nodded her head, not trusting herself to speak. The blonde gave her a lopsided smirk and reached out her hand,

“I’m Yang by the way, Yang Xiao Long”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello Everyone!  
> Finally got this chapter finished! I'm really excited for what I have planned for this fic :D  
> Hope you all like this chapter!

Blake was shocked, she wasn't entirely sure what had just happened. Her mind running a mile a minute, her heart pounding so hard and so fast Blake could have sworn you could see her chest move with each beat. She subconsciously moved her arm forward to shake hands with Yang, while moving her gaze back and forth between the body of the dead man at her feet, and the blonde beauty standing in front of her.

“H-how, did y-”

Yang smiled at her while motioning behind her with her thumb to one of the tall buildings down the street,

“Ruby.”

“Ruby?”

“My sister”

“But..h-how’d you kno-”

Yang cut her off,

“We saw what happened at the Marketplace, he said some stuff after you left, I thought it would be a good idea to follow”

Blake swallowed thickly, her heart slowly starting to return to a normal pace. Her thoughts stopped swirling, allowing her to focus more on what was going on...and on the girl standing before her.

Blake had been right, Yang was gorgeous. Her face was beautiful, the perfect combination and soft and sharp features. Her golden blonde hair falling in waves over her shoulders, messy, but in a way that worked. Blake had already known that Yang was fit, she was able to see that from across the Marketplace but now, having her standing in front of her, Blake felt her mouth go dry. Yang was wearing black combat boots, a pair of dark charcoal cargo pants that were sitting low on her hips showing off the V-cut of her obliques. She was wearing a light grey cropped jacket and just an orange sports bra. Putting the rest of her abs and her chest on display. But it was her eyes that really drew Blake in.

Lilac

The most amazing shade of lilac that Blake had ever seen. Blake felt her mouth open in awe and promptly snapped it shut again while shaking her head, causing Yang to smirk and chuckle. Yang spoke while twisted around to look down the alley, looking to see where Ruby had gotten off to

“I get that response a lot, don’t worry about it”

Blake’s face turned a deep crimson colour as her mouth fell open in shock,

“I..I wasn-”

Yang turned back to face her, smirk still plastered across her face,

“Oh, you definitely were.” Yang leaned in closer to Blake, her face inches away from Blake's ear “But don’t worry Sweetheart...so was I” Yang pulled back and shot Blake a wink the same moment the small girl from the Marketplace, who Blake assumed to be Ruby, showed up.

Blake’s mouth opened and closed, trying to find something to say in response but falling short each time. Her face was now uncomfortably warm and she was sure it was probably the same colour as the smaller girls Cape.

“Yang? Are you being mean?”

Yang simply laughed and rolled her eyes, 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about little sister”

Ruby rolled her eyes while sticking her arm out towards Blake,

“Sorry about her. I’m Ruby”

Blake shook Ruby’s hand while giving her a small smile.

“Blake...uhh...thanks...for...him”

Blake motioned to the dead body on the ground. Ruby simply nodded her head and shrugged her shoulders,

“So uh...what should we do with him?”

Now it was Blake’s turn to laugh, but she stopped abruptly when she realized the other two weren’t laughing, she coughed before speaking again,

“It’s Mantle...not like there is any kind of police force here...it may as well be a lawless city.”

Ruby cocked her head to the side, slight confusion on her face, causing Blake to sigh,

“We can just leave him, someone will take care of it tomorrow I’m sure”

Ruby and Yang nodded at her in understanding. Silence filled the air only disrupted by the sounds of guns going off a few blocks away. Blake coughed again,

“Okay, well thanks again for the help...I uh...I owe you guys one..but I’m going to head back to my ship.”

Ruby’s eyes widened and Yang snorted then grinned at the girl standing in front of her. Yang opened her mouth to say something but Ruby beat her to it,

“Right! Ya! We should head back to ours too...and uh..don’t mention it. I’m sure you would have done the same”

Blake gave her a soft smile before turning around and heading out of the alley towards her ship.

  
  


The next day Blake found herself back in the Marketplace, she figured a few more days and she would finally have the money for the parts she needed, then half a day to repair her ship and then she’ll be out of here. She was so close to getting off this God forsaken planet she could taste it. She was there for a few hours before she noticed Yang and Ruby show up but once she did she was mesmerized. She couldn’t take her eyes off Yang. She looked the exact same she did the night before, but had just swapped out the orange sports bra for a bright yellow one.

_ ‘God, does this girl own a shirt?’ _

Blake tilted her head to the side, biting her bottom lip watching Yang through her head back and laugh while talking to someone.

_ ‘Even if she did...would you really want her to wear one?’ _

Blake rolled her eyes and chuckled to herself as she pushed herself up off the wall. 

_ ‘Okay, grab some food and call it a day’ _

Blake had decided on an early night today, not having slept well the night before. The reason behind it is unclear...was it the confrontation with the man? Bringing up too many bad memories from her past? Or...was it Yang...Yang and her perfect fucking abs.

_ ‘Definitely not Yang...nope’ _

Blake made it back to her ship in record time, ate her dinner and had yet another night of fitful sleep

  
  


The next day was hot, it was arguably always hot in Mantle but today was probably the hottest it had been since Blake got stranded here. Blake had been in the Marketplace for most of the day and she felt gross. Her hair was sticking to the back of her neck and there was a thin layer of sweat covering her body. 

_ ‘Fuck I need a shower’ _

She hadn’t seen the sisters all day, which was odd. Normally they made it to the Marketplace earlier in the day, and she always noticed Yang right away...it was nearly impossible not to.

_ ‘They must have left...gotten out of here.’ _

Blake smiled softly,

_ ‘Good for them’ _

  
  


Blake was leaning against one of the buildings, back of her head resting against the brick, hips pushed forward slightly, hands in the pockets of her hoodie, eyes closed when she heard a commotion in the crowd. She cracked her right eye open and tilted her head down to better see into the crowd. Still hearing a commotion but not being able to see anything out of the ordinary. She was just about to close her eye again when she saw a flash of red moving in front of her. 

_ ‘Ruby?’ _

Blake pushed herself off the building, both eyes now wide open, scanning the crowd.

Nothing.

She pushed up onto her tiptoes trying to get a better look but it didn’t really help that much. Blake still didn’t see anything, starting to think she had imagined it, she sunk back against the brick building.

_ ‘Fucking heat...you’re starting to lose it Belladonna’ _

“BLAKE!”

Blake quickly righted herself and saw Ruby running towards her. Blake’s heart started to beat faster, her breath caught in her throat. Panic and fear was written all over Ruby’s face. There was dirt and grim covering her face and clothes, streaks of previously shed tears ran down the smaller girls cheeks.

Ruby barreled into Blake, gasping for air. Blake grabbed onto Ruby's waist, steadying her

“Ruby what’s going on? What happened?”

Fresh tears started pouring down Ruby’s cheeks,

“T-they..they took her! They fucking took her! There was nothing I could do! She told me to run, that she’d be right behind me and then...then she..she wasn’t!”

Blake grabbed Ruby’s shoulders and squeezed lightly,

“Ruby, slow down, who was taken?”

“YANG! They fucking took her!”

Blake’s eyes widened, her heart racing,

“Who Ruby, who took Yang?”

“The Glave!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, thanks so much for reading!  
> I really hope you all liked this chapter :D   
> Please feel free to leave a comment and let me know what you think, if you have any suggestions or if you have any questions :) Love hearing from everyone!
> 
> Until next time!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone!  
> I know it's been a minute since I updated this fic...sorry! Just didn't have the inspiration to sit down and write this one. But I finally did it!  
> Enjoy!

"The Glave"

The words echoed around inside Blake's head, her heart beating painfully in her chest. Thankfully the noise of The Marketplace drowned out Ruby's voice.

Blake surged forward, bringing her left hand around to the back of Ruby's head while clamping her right hand over the younger girl's mouth. She roughly yanked the girl towards her until the back of Blake's right hand was flush with her shoulder. Her eyes wide, darting around, her cat ears pushing up against her beanie, flicking forward then to the sides and back. She strained to hear.

Ruby tried to pull back but Blake's grip on her was solid. Blake slowly dipped her head down so her mouth was centimetres away from Ruby's ear. Blake's gaze still forward, scanning for any sign of danger as she spoke,

"You need to be careful and watch how loud you speak. Understand?"

Blake felt Ruby nod against her hands.

"Good. Now...you are going to come with me back to my ship, quietly" the last word coming out in a hiss "and we will talk about it there. Understood?"

Ruby nodded again and Blake dropped her hands, quickly turning around and starting her way down one of the alleys, not bothering to see if the small girl was following her. Her mind running, confused. 

The walk back to Blake’s ship took longer than usual, Blake weaved in and out of alleys and side streets, making sure that no one was following them. Blake was fairly confident that no one would have heard Ruby’s outcry but The Glave had eyes and ears everywhere, even in Mantle apparently. She couldn’t be too careful.

_ ‘This doesn’t make sense, The Glave has no business coming into Mantle. They never bothered to before...even if they did randomly decide to come here...why the hell would they go after a pickpocket?”  _ Blake's brow knit together in a mix of confusion and concentration. It was hard to really lock down a title for The Glave, bounty hunter, mercenary, both? It was hard to say. But what Blake did know was that they were basically driven by money. They’d do just about anything if the price was right.  _ ‘They only ever go after high-profile or high paying hits...why the hell would they bother with Yang...unless Yang isn’t who you think she is.’ _

Blake sucked on the inside of her cheek as she glanced back at Ruby. The smaller girl was keeping up with her, and to her credit, had remained silent the entire trip back. Wringing her hands together and letting out the odd hiccup from crying,

_ ‘You essentially know nothing about either of them’ _

Blake turned back around and continued around the back of an old abandoned warehouse. Shoving her hand into her pocket and pulling out her Slate. She punched in her code, swiping her fingers across the screen, looked up and waited.

_ ‘Well it’s too late now’ _

  
  
  


Ruby wasn’t sure why they had stopped. They had been walking around for the better part of half an hour, both suns had set a while ago and it was now dark out, the only light coming from the stars scattered above them. Ruby panicked for a moment seeing as they had randomly stopped in an open field behind a building that she didn’t think anyone had used in over 20 years.

Then she saw it.

It was difficult to make out at first but once she noticed, it was hard to miss. 

Shimmering

It started off slow and with time, the shimmering became faster and faster, colours changing, the air rippling. Until sitting right in front of her was arguably the most beautiful ship she had ever laid eyes on. All fine lines and sharp edges, deep purples and shining blacks. It was a ship that a common thief could never even dream of owning. Ruby’s eyes flicked from the ship in front of her to the girl standing beside her, hundreds of questions racing through her mind. But the one was a little louder than the others.

_ ‘Who the hell is this girl!?’ _

  
  
  
  


Blake could feel Ruby’s eyes burrowing into the side of her head and she could practically hear her thoughts with how loud the girl was thinking. Blake sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose, really not wanting to hear any of the girl's questions...not knowing how to answer most of the ones she knew Ruby must be thinking. Blake dropped her hand to her side, sighing before raising it back up and running it through her hair.

“Come on”

Blake started towards the ship's hatch, motioning for Ruby to follow her. Blake let out a sigh of relief when Ruby follows her up without question. Blake can’t help the smirk that breaks out across her face at the whispered “woah” that Ruby breathes out once they make their way inside.

The inside of Blake’s ship is just as impressive as the outside, a nice combination of old and new furniture decorate the inside. Making it look classy while still giving it a warm and homey feel. Lots of monochrome, varying shades of purples and pops of gold litter the main cabin of the ship.

There is a small leather couch, a iron and wood coffee table and a leather chair in the middle of the room, Blake motions for Ruby to sit on the couch while she walks past it towards the barcart on the opposite side of the room. Blake picks up a decanter filled with an amber liquid and holds it out towards Ruby, brow raised, silently asking if she wanted any. Ruby shakes her head, Blake shrugs and pours herself a glass before walking back and settling into the chair. Blake takes a long sip of her drink, wincing slightly as it burned the back of her throat.

“Okay, so tell me what happened”

  
  


And so, Ruby went off and told her the entire story. How they had been on their way to The Marketplace and had found themselves surrounded by people wearing white jackets and carrying blasters. The leader had said something to Yang who in turn had told Ruby to run, and the next thing Ruby knew, Yang was being shoved into a Rover before it took off towards the other end of the city. And, none of it added up. Blake finished her drink and stood to pour herself another, her head was throbbing and she knew she probably shouldn’t be drinking but for whatever reason it helped her think. 

“You’re sure it was The Glave”

Ruby gave her an exasperated huff,

“Of course I’m sure! They had the jackets on! White with orange accents.”

Blake felt her blood run cold.

“Ruby...The Glave wear white with blue accents...are you sure it was orange?”

Ruby’s face paled,

“Y-ya...it was definitely orange...b-but...the leader...she looked just like the stories! She had white hair! That’s not exactly a common colour!”

Blake sat back down in her seat, running her free hand down her face. 

“The leader, did...did she have a scar running down her left eye?”

Ruby furrowed her brow as she shook her head, growing more and more agitated ,

“What? No! What does that have to do with anything!? How does her having a scar help us find Yang?”

Blake placed her glass on the coffee table and sighed, 

“Because, if she didn’t have a scar there, then it wasn’t The Glave”

Ruby threw her hands up in frustration,

“How the hell do you know she has a scar across her left eye? Huh?”

Blake tilted her head to the side, studying Ruby. Blake’s nostrils flared and the muscles in her jaw popped as she clenched it shut, her words coming out in a half hiss and half snarl,

“Because I’m the one that put it there”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, thanks so much for reading!  
> Not entirely sure how I feel about this chapter...I was kinda rushing near the end to get it finished and I think the writing is a little wobbly....  
> Please feel free to leave a comment and let me know what you thought! Did you like it? Hate it? Guesses for what happens next? Suggestions moving forward? I love to hear it all :D
> 
> Until next time!

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you all so much for reading!  
> Please feel free to leave me a comment! Let me know what you think! Constructive criticism is always welcome, as are any questions if anyone has any :)
> 
> Fair warning, I'm not sure how often I'll be able to update this fic but I'll do my best to not let too much time pass in between :)


End file.
